My Visit to the Walt Disney Studios: Part 5 (Disney Archives)

After our time at the Disney Legends Plaza, we finally found our way to the Disney Archives. Located inside the Frank G. Wells Building, the Disney Archives is simply a treasure itself. I am excited to share some of the unique Disney items we were able to see.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a recreation of an animator's office. This is what it may have looked like back in the 1940s. The giant Walt Disney cutout greeting you is kinda cool, too.

There were these glass cases filled with all kinds of Disney artifacts related to the Parks, films, and Walt Disney. My kids got a kick out of the original Parent Trap dolls from the credits. It's one of their favorite Disney classic movies. It was a thrill to see some of Walt Disney's personal effects like his glasses and business cards.

Walking further into the room, you can't help notice another wall filled top to bottom with all kinds of Disney related books. This is not their entire collection but these provide the archivists with lots of information.

These particular Disney Archive books were the most fascinating to me. These blue n books are a collection of the Disneyland Cast Member weekly publication known as, The Disneyland Line. They actually have a copy of all the other Cast Member publications from all the Disney Parks. The brown books are a collection of original newspaper clippings about the death of Walt Disney. There are 20 volumes on this topic alone.

Here are a couple other items that I found interesting. The first is the Disney crest. You can compare with the one that adorns Sleeping Beauty Caste (Disneyland).

Our tour guide pointed out the following drawing. Most people don't think of Walt Disney as a cartoonist, but he actually began his career by selling his work. He had even taken classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Here is an example of his drawing skills.

There were some of John Hench Mickey Mouse art as well as some other pretty Disney originals to lend some decor in the Disney archives. It is actually also a working office for the Disney Archivists.

Art by John Hench

Mickey Mouse birthday portraits

Disney version of Degas

Disney version of Degas - Dancers Bending Down

The Disney Archivists were also kind enough to let us hold one of Walt's actual Oscar statutes. The first thing that you discover is how heavy it is. It weighs around 8 lbs. This one is Walt's statuette that he received for Best Short Subject 2 Reel (1953).

My kids really got a thrill taking turns holding it and practicing their Oscar acceptance speeches. It made for a highlight of our visit. If you want to see most of the Oscars that Walt received in his lifetime, including the special one he received for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, they have them on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Next week, I will share one final post about my tour of the Walt Disney Studios. It was really a wonderful and lengthy tour that my family was able to experience. If you missed my other post, you can catch up here: